


Reintegration

by poetroe



Series: Fire and Ice [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Fire Powers, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Ice Powers, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 18:38:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15712827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetroe/pseuds/poetroe
Summary: “Reintegrate?” Emma asks with a frown. “What, like having me do community service? I was a vigilante, not some sort of common criminal.”“Well, as long as the general public sees you as one, you are one,” Regina answers calmly. “So, community service, yes. Although suited to your abilities of course, dear.”A month after throwing a diamond into the ocean, Boston's most notorious vigilante Nightflame starts on the path of becoming a hero, led by Boston's most revered superhero, the Black Blizzard.





	Reintegration

**Author's Note:**

> This one goes out to everyone that commented, bookmarked or gave kudo's on Fire and Ice! (if you're here but you haven't read that one, please do! This fic will make much more sense) I wanted to write a sequel that was a little less serious than the original work and where I could focus more on the relationship between Emma and Regina. Personally I'm pretty happy with the way this turned out, I hope you are too!

It’s two months after the Diamond Incident and a month after Nightflame made worldwide headlines with her Indian heritage-destroying actions. The Baltic mob had been understandably upset, as had the other interested criminal parties, and those reactions had been expected. But what’s done is done, and even the lowest low-life in Boston’s criminal underbelly understood that the yellow diamond was never coming back. In other words, Nightflame was finally cut some slack by the mafia.

The general public, however, had been far from granting the fire-wielding super criminal any mercy. Lucky for Nightflame, she had just gotten to know a kid with a hero for a mom.

“Say, kid,” Emma asks one night, when she’s hanging around Regina’s place, “what would you do? If you were me right now, you know, a vigilante fallen from the public’s grace?”

“Shh!” Henry hisses, “I’m about to beat the final boss!” Emma rolls her eyes and leans back into the couch. She glances at the fancy clock on the wall; it’s almost nine.

“Okay, but you better be quick about it,” she says. “Your mom happened to tell me your bedtime before she left.” Henry grimaces at that, but his eyes never leave the screen. “So, don’t think you can take advantage of having me for a babysitter,” Emma says.

“I know, Emma,” Henry whines, “just let me finish this battle, alright? I’m so close!” The kid’s entire body is rigid as his fingers fly over the buttons, mashing them down rapidly. His tongue is sticking out in concentration, and Emma would be lying if it isn’t the cutest thing she’s seen all day. Then an explosion happens onscreen, and Henry falls back into the couch next to Emma, defeated. “I was _so close_ ,” he moans. Emma chuckles and ruffles his hair.

“Try again tomorrow and I’m sure you’ll get him,” she says. Henry shoots her a sad smile that says it’s probably a little difficult for him to believe that right now. Emma glances at the clock again. “Alright kid, it’s ten past nine; if you don’t go to bed fast your mom is going to freeze my head off.”

“She wouldn’t do that,” Henry says with a smirk as he stands up. “She likes you too much for that.” Emma huffs. She has formed a tentative relationship with Regina over the last two months, something that had been helped along considerably by the fact that their secret identities were not so secret anymore, at least between the two of them. It had actually felt really great to be able to share the whole superhero thing with Regina. Still, Emma wouldn’t put it past the Blizzard to actually freeze her head off if it had something to do with Henry.

“If you say so, kid,” Emma answers as Henry rushes off to his room.

Nights like this have become somewhat of a regular occurrence these past two months. It had seemed for the best that Nightflame take a break from trying to be a hero, especially when the city of Boston and the rest of the world seemed to think that throwing the DeBeers diamond in the ocean had been her fault. Of course, it had been Nightflame who had actually thrown it into the ocean, but people were forgetting the bigger picture: the fact that she’d been forced to by the criminal underworld. So, for as long as the general public is still hung up on this whole thing, Nightflame’s duties are restricted to babysitting the Black Blizzard’s kid. Not that Emma is complaining.

Regina has been really nice about it. She understands Emma’s desire to get back out there and all the reasons why she can’t, yet. Speak of the devil, Emma thinks as she hears the balcony door click shut.

“Hey,” she greets Regina from the couch. The other woman is still dressed head to toe in her iconic Black Blizzard getup, but she’s taken off the mask. “How are things out there? Have any trouble?”

“Not particularly,” Regina sighs as she sits down next to Emma, close enough for their knees to touch. “I spoke with the mayor though. She’s an old friend of mine and she’s allowed me to reintegrate you.”

“Reintegrate?” Emma asks with a frown. “What, like having me do community service? I was a vigilante, not some sort of common criminal.”

“Well, as long as the general public sees you as one, you are one,” Regina answers calmly. “So, community service, yes. Although suited to your abilities of course, dear.” The smirk that accompanies those words fill Emma with a strange hopeful feeling in the base of her stomach.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” The playful glint in Regina’s eyes is already telling Emma that yes, it does, and Regina is probably as thrilled about it as Emma is.

“It means that after I check on Henry, you’re coming with me.” Emma grins.

“Okay.”

***

The night air is cool on Nightflame’s skin as she shoots through the sky like a fiery comet, followed closely by the arctic wind that whirls around the Blizzard. The lights of the city shine beautifully on a clear night like this one, and Nightflame is feeling ecstatic. It feels good to be back out here, where she can be herself, under the blanket of obscurity the night and the mask provide. Nightflame lands on the top of a high building, a prime vantage point that allows her to see the whole neighborhood. Silent like a cat, Black Blizzard lands behind her.

“Do you see that?” Nightflame says softly, eyes fixed on the scene before them. She feels the Blizzard approaching from behind, a warm presence coming up to look over her shoulder. On the street, three men walk fast, going from one car to another, feeling the handles, checking the interiors, no doubt to see which one is worth breaking into.

“As soon as they break in, get them,” the soft voice of the Blizzard says in Nightflame’s ear, and she nods. Unable to help her inpatient self, Nightflame lets the fire that lies within her simmer and burn its way through her body. She can feel it spread to her fingers and her toes and she balls her hands into clenched fists, ready to pounce. On the street, one of the guys has called the other two over and sure enough, one of them has managed to open the door. Nightflame turns around and shoots the Blizzard a last happy grin before she lets herself fall down.

The street cracks a little when she lands in a burst of fire, but Nightflame pays no attention to it. The three car thieves are her sole focus, now. They’ve seen her land, of course, and are eying her approach warily.

“Hey guys,” Nightflame says with a smile. “You got your license and registration for that car?” One of the men huffs, and then they’re all running off in opposite directions. Nightflame curses as the fire lifts her off the ground and she shoots after her first target. She grabs the man by his collar, then makes a U-turn and throws him into his friend. Nightflame’s head whips around while looking for the third one, but then the Blizzard appears from around the corner with the last guy, his wrists frozen together. Nightflame gets out a couple of the zip ties she’s stocked up on and ties the three men to each other and the car. “So,” she says as she turns back to the Black Blizzard. “Do we wait for the police? Or should I write a note?” With a grin, Nightflame holds up a pen and a stack of yellow post-its. Black Blizzard rolls her eyes through the mask.

“I don’t tend to wait for the first responders, so by all means,” she answers, gesturing at the men. Nightflame grins, and quickly jots down a message for the police. She sticks the note on the forehead of one of them, then pats his head.

“Okay, all good to go,” Nightflame says with a grin. The Blizzard mirrors it and then they take off again, into the night.

***

“What do you make of this?” Emma slowly blinks at the newspaper Mary Margaret just slid towards her.

“…What?” she asks, still a little drowsy after her three hours of sleep. Mary Margaret lets out an exasperated sigh.

“ _This_ ,” she says, pointing at the front page, which has the words ‘Nightflame returns!’ written across it in bold. Below it, there is a picture of Nightflame leaving a trail of fire as she flies through the sky, against the backdrop of the Boston skyline.

“Oh,” Emma replies. “That’s a pretty cool picture.”

“Yes, it is,” Mary Margaret says, “but I’m not sure if this is such good news.”

“What do you mean?” Emma asks, before taking a sip of her coffee. “She’s trying to turn over a new leaf, right?”

“Well, yes,” her roommate counters, “but who is to say she won’t stray again? Last time I thought she changed she just ended up stealing another diamond. It’s not that hard to go back to a life of crime when you have the powers she does.”

“You worry too much, MM,” Emma sighs with a smile. “I’m sure she has a parole officer, or something.”

‘Or something’ is definitely more accurate. Ever since that first night back, Regina regularly texts her with places and times for them to meet up and continue their efforts to make Boston a safer city. Nightflame learns how to be a hero in a way that doesn’t involve destroying property or otherwise breaking the law, continues leaving notes, and the public’s opinion is starting to shift back to the vigilante’s favor. About a month after Nightflame’s reintegration into society started, it seems like she’s worked hard enough to get back out there alone.

‘Busy @ work, NF is good to go on her own 2nite. Good luck xx’, the text from Regina says, and Emma has been staring at it for the past five minutes. Regina, apparently, is a hot shot lawyer in the highest circles of Boston society, and it kind of sucks that she had to text Henry to find that out. Of course they’d told each other things about themselves ever since that barrier, constructed by their masks, had disappeared between them. Emma has heard stories about when Henry was little and about Regina’s parents, and in return Emma has told Regina about her friends and her experiences growing up in the foster system. Somehow, they’d never made it to the topic of their daytime activities, and Emma can’t help the slight sting she feels at the lack of that basic knowledge about Regina.

Still, this is such a vote of confidence from Regina that Emma can’t do anything other than change into her Nightflame get-up and leave the warmth of her apartment to patrol the cold streets of the city.

***

It’s midnight when Nightflame takes a little break to review the facts. She’s been on the streets for a little over two hours, and she’s already stopped a handful of robberies, caught up to a car that was entangled in a police chase and prevented a burglary. It’s as much as she might have done in a whole night on any other day, and she decides to call her former nemesis. Regina picks up after the third ring.

“Hey,” Nightflame says, hoping the wind on the top of this building doesn’t obscure her voice too much. “Is this a bad time?”

“No. I’m still at the office, but it’s about time I went home,” Regina answers. “So, how does it feel to be the hero for a change?” Nightflame doesn’t have to see the other woman to know those words are accompanied by a smug smirk, and she grins.

“Good. It’s pretty busy out here, actually,” she says, rocking her feet back and forth from where she’s perched on a rooftop. “Enough to do. I could use the help and the, uh, company. You know, if you’re not too busy. I know it’s pretty late.” Nightflame brings a hand up to her face in embarrassment. Way to go, _hero_ , now she probably thinks you’re still not capable to do anything on your own.

“Well, I never decline an offer to exterminate crime from the face of the earth,” Regina deadpans, and Nightflame can’t help but snort.

“Of course you don’t,” she smiles. “See you in ten?”

“Make that fifteen,” Regina answers. “Let’s meet up at the usual place. Until then, Nightflame.”

“Yeah, freeze you later, Blizzard.” With a grin and a click, Nightflame hangs up. She stands up, exhales a sigh, and takes off to their usual meet-up spot, on the top of the glass building next to the Trinity Church, in the center of the city.

It’s closing in on four in the morning and Nightflame and the Black Blizzard are sitting on a park bench. Their night had been plenty action-packed, up until about an hour ago.

“Do you think we got them all, or do criminals just not like to stay up late?” Nightflame muses. Her head is hanging backwards and her eyes are on the passing clouds.

“I think we should call it a night either way,” Black Blizzard answers. Nightflame can feel her eyes start drooping and sits up, before slowly slouching back down.

“You’re right,” she says, “I feel like I’m about to fall asleep right here.” The Blizzard chuckles.

“I’m starting to understand how you managed to fall asleep stealing my car,” she says, and Nightflame grins at the memory.

“Ah, you were _so_ mad. Good times.”

“Tell that to the client whose appointment I was half an hour late for, the next day.” The Blizzard’s tone is accusatory, but the corner of her mouth is curled upwards and tells Nightflame different. “Come on,” the hero says as she stands up and offers Nightflame a hand. “It’s time to go home.” Nightflame gives Black Blizzard a tentative smile as she takes her hand and pulls herself up. “Do you want to fly?” the Blizzard asks. Nightflame shakes her head.

“No, I’m too tired,” she answers. “Imagine if I fell asleep mid-flight and hit a building. The press would have a field day.” Black Blizzard chuckles again.

“I imagine they would. Well, good thing I have my car parked somewhere around here,” she says.

***

It takes a little special effort for Emma not to fall asleep on Regina’s comfortable leather car seat again. Every time her eyes threaten to fall shut, Emma forcibly shakes herself awake and sits back up straight. The drive only takes them about fifteen minutes though, and before she knows it, Emma is back on the couch in Regina’s living room. The fancy clock on the wall tells Emma it’s half past four in the morning when Regina comes back from the kitchen with two glasses of red wine.

“Really?” she asks the other woman. “It’s the middle of the night.” Regina just shrugs and hands her a glass, before sitting down next to her on the couch.

“We deserve it,” she says, and takes a sip. Emma follows suit and tries not to wince too much at the overwhelming flavor. Regina is a Cabernet Sauvignon kind of girl and all Emma regularly drinks is beer, so she’s had to do a little adapting when it comes to drinking with Regina. They drink in silence, the noises of early traffic sounding muted in Regina’s living room. The rich wine in combination with her exhaustion unwind something in Emma and she slumps against Regina a little. She’s done it before, the first time being on the raft when she was still wounded, the last time being in a situation similar to this one: in Regina’s living room, during the wee hours of the morning, when Emma is feeling just tired enough to have a type of confidence she doesn’t when she’s fully awake.

This isn’t Emma’s first time at the rodeo. She’s known for a while now that she has a crush on Regina. It’s been a long time coming, really. Back when they were nothing to each other but arch enemies, there was always that familiar rush of excitement when they clashed. Irritation and competition made up the majority of that reaction, sure. But there had always been a certain edge of attraction. What else could explain that it was always Black Blizzard stopping Nightflame? Emma takes another sip from her wine, effectively finishing the glass. Next to her, Regina stands up, no doubt to refill. She holds out her hand and wordlessly, Emma hands her the glass.

The second glass is gone soon enough, too. Emma has given up on caring what Regina might think when she’s pressed up against her side like this, in the meantime. Their arms are touching from their shoulders all the way down to their wrists. Emma’s head is resting on the back of the couch, but it’s dangerously close to Regina’s shoulder.

“Maybe I should head home,” Emma murmurs. Regina almost looks offended at those words.

“You don’t have to,” she says. “You could sleep on the couch.” Emma smiles at that; how kind Regina is to her nowadays is the polar opposite of how they used to be.

“Thanks for the offer,” she answers as she sits up, “but I think Mary Margaret is going to worry if I’m not there in the morning.” Regina rolls her eyes and Emma grins. For some strange reason, Regina can’t seem to stand her roommate, despite the fact that they’ve never met. Henry says it’s because Regina hates all kindergarten teachers, but that seems a little far-fetched, even for Regina.

“Fly safe, will you,” Regina says, while she avoids meeting Emma’s gaze. “I can’t spend my day off dealing with the fallout of you flying through a building.” Their hands are still laying impossibly close to each other on the couch. In what is probably a combination of Regina’s wine and the exhaustion from the night, Emma places her hand over Regina’s. It’s cool and soft, and Emma can feel Regina freeze up at the contact.

“I’ll be careful,” she says as she looks at Regina’s warm brown eyes. Then, in a spur of the moment, Emma leans forward and kisses Regina on the lips. “Uh, bye,” Emma says and before she even knows it herself, she’s through the balcony door and flying off in a burst of fire.

***

Emma sleeps through the morning, the next day. She texts Mary Margaret at noon to tell her that she’s sick, but really Emma just needs some peace and quiet to sort through all the things that happened last night. Drinking wine on Regina’s couch after a night filled with stopping crime and catching criminals had become a little bit of a habit, ever since Nightflame’s reintegration started. Had Emma’s rash decision ruined that? Had she ruined her budding friendship with Regina? What if the other woman wanted nothing to do with Emma anymore? Emma grimaces and turns around under her covers. No way. What she needs to do is make herself clear to Regina, and tell her it meant nothing. There’s no reason why they can’t be friends, anymore. Emma frowns. If only it had actually meant nothing.

She decides that a fast approach is probably for the best, and texts Regina that night: ‘Can BB meet me at the weather beacon? I want to talk to you.’

The wind on top of the old Hancock building is freezing, which is probably for the best because Nightflame feels like her blood is boiling in anticipation. It usually takes Black Blizzard only a few minutes to respond to her texts, so she should be here any moment now. Nightflame sighs and leans back against the weather beacon. It’s flashing blue, which means something for the weather, had Nightflame bothered to remember the poem that explains the beacon’s function. Another gust of cold air hits her face, but this wind is particularly biting and Nightflame grimaces. She stands up, turns around and sure enough, there is the Blizzard.

“Uh, hey,” Emma says as she takes off her mask. She kissed Regina as Emma, so she is going to face the consequences as Emma. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Like your text said. I’m well aware, Miss Swan,” Regina answers in a tone that bites about as much as the icy wind that accompanied her. She takes off her mask as well and Emma sighs.

“Please don’t tell me we’re back to that,” she says. “Look, Regina. I value our friendship a lot. What happened last night was…” Emma lets out another sigh. “I don’t know. I could say it was the wine, or the exhaustion, but in the end it was me making a rash decision and I’m sorry.”

“A rash decision?” Regina repeats. “But not a mistake?” Emma feels her face flush instantaneously. This is exactly the direction she didn’t want this conversation to go in.

“I, uh, well…” Emma stutters as Regina slowly approaches her. She’s standing so close now that it’s impossible for Emma to avoid Regina’s eyes, and she’s a little startled at the lack of hostility in them. She thought Regina would be livid.

“Was it a mistake?” Regina repeats softly, standing so close that it would be no trouble, no trouble at all for Emma to lean forward and do the exact same thing as she did last night. But this is now and not then, and Emma is focused and awake.

“No,” she answers, deciding to throw all her caution in the wind. If Regina wanted to know, she could know. “No, it wasn’t. And I’m sorry again.” With the high word out, Emma suddenly feels all the tension drain out of her, and she turns her back to Regina. The weather beacon is still flashing blue. With a shuddering sigh, Emma puts her mask back on. “Maybe I should go.”

“You’re an idiot if you think you’re going anywhere,” Regina says as she grabs Emma’s shoulder and whirls her back around. Cool, shaky hands reach up to her face and Regina takes off her mask again. “You’re also an idiot if you think that I’m angry with you.” Emma’s eyes widen in surprise at those words and she’s frozen in place as Regina’s hands cup her cheeks and their lips meet for the second time.

It’s a lot more than that previous peck on the lips and Emma wastes no time in kissing Regina back. Her mouth opens slightly when Regina’s hands find their way under Emma’s tattered red leather jacket, something Regina takes advantage of instantly. Her hands sneak under the tank top Emma’s wearing and Emma bites Regina’s lower lip in response. Regina, seemingly insatiable, moves her mouth to place hot, biting kisses below Emma’s ear, slowly down to her neck, and there is really nothing Emma can do apart from leaning back against the beacon and let Regina’s mouth and hands trail their way over her body. Suddenly, the flashing blue turns flashing red, and the light is ominous enough for Emma to find Regina’s hands with her own and pulling them back down. Regina lets her go, looking a little offended, but Emma keeps a tight hold on her hands.

“Do you know what that means?” she asks, gesturing to the flashing red beacon. Regina smirks as soon as she notices the light.

“Of course,” Regina answers. “Steady blue, clear view, flashing blue, clouds due. Steady red, storms ahead, flashing red…” She looks up as she trails off.

“Well?” Emma asks impatiently. Regina smiles as she gives Emma a kiss.

“Snow instead,” she says, finishing the rhyme. Just then, Emma notices tiny specks of snow that are swirling down around them.

“But it’s May,” Emma says, confused. Then she notices the sly smirk on Regina’s face. “Oh, don’t tell me—this is you.” Regina nods, still grinning like a crazy person. It’s infectious and before she knows it Emma is grinning right back at Regina.

“Turns out you have quite the effect on me… and my powers,” Regina airily admits and Emma can’t help but chuckle at that. Regina smiles back, and turns around to look out over the city. Emma, who is still holding Regina’s hand, follows suit.

***

The next morning, the entirety of Boston is covered in two inches of snow. The news outlets are calling it a freak natural event, but Emma knows better. She texts Mary Margaret that she’s feeling better, then lays her phone back on the nightstand and turns around. On the other side of the bed, Regina is still asleep, looking relaxed and blissfully unaware of anything. Emma shifts closer to Regina and sneaks her arm across her stomach, pulling her a little closer. Regina sighs in the embrace and softly, her eyes flutter open.

“Did I wake you?” Emma whispers.

“No,” Regina answers, voice still hoarse from sleep. “I mean, kind of. You’re really warm.” Emma snorts and pulls Regina even closer to her own body, entangling their legs too.

“Well, your feet are always cold,” she says. Regina grins and retaliates immediately by pulling up her knees and pressing her cool toes into Emma’s thigh. “Ah! Regina!” Emma whines.

“If you say any more mean things, I’ll freeze your coffee,” Regina murmurs as she returns to her previous position in Emma’s arms. Emma grins and she’s about to tell Regina that she’d just use her powers to warm it back up, when the other woman lets out a deep sigh and closes her eyes again. Emma presses a kiss to Regina’s forehead and decides to follow her example, instead.


End file.
